1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inverted pendulum type vehicle, and more particularly to an inverted pendulum type vehicle wherein left and right driving disks disposed at the opposite left and right ends of a main wheel are driven to rotate by corresponding individual driving units.
2. Description of the Background Art
Conventionally, as an inverted pendulum type vehicle, for example, an inverted pendulum type vehicle is known which includes a vehicle body frame, a main wheel, a pair of left and right driving disks, and driving units (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). The main wheel is configured by combining a plurality of rotatable driven rollers in such a manner that axial lines of rotation of the driven rollers form a ring. The left and right driving disks are supported for rotation on the vehicle body frame and positioned on the opposite sides of the main wheel in a substantially coaxial relationship with an axial line of rotation of the main wheel. Each of the left and right driving disks includes a plurality of rotatable driving rollers disposed for contact in a twisted relationship with the driven rollers. The driving units respectively drive the left and right driving disks independently of each other.
The driving units include a left side driving unit for driving the left side driving disk, and a separate right side driving unit for driving the right side driving disk. Each of the left and right side driving units includes a driving motor attached to the vehicle body frame at a position above the main wheel, and a driving pulley attached to an output power shaft of the electric motor. Each of the left and right side driving units further includes a driven pulley attached to a corresponding one of the left and right driving disks, and an endless transmission belt extending between and around the mutually corresponding driving pulley and driven pulley.
[Patent Document 1]—Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2010-247640
[Patent document 2]—Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-63242